Green progress is aim of SEC reporting proposal for public companies
The proposal would require disclosure of risks climate change pose to companies and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by companies and by their supply chain.
Environmental Policy
UPDATE: Justices wrestle with EPA power to curb carbon emissions
The justices, in arguments Monday, are taking up an appeal from 19 mostly Republican-led states and coal companies over the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
New City-County Council committee to strike a greener path
The panel plans to focus first on urban forests and parklands, then recycling and solid waste, then equitable health and infrastructure investments.
EPA moves to crack down on dangerous coal ash storage ponds
Plants in four states, including Indiana, will have to close the coal ash ponds months or years ahead of schedule, the EPA said Tuesday, citing deficiencies with groundwater monitoring, cleanup or other problems.
Manchin’s ‘no’ vote on Build Back Better bill undercuts Biden’s climate agenda
The senator, who had been the chief Democratic obstacle to the White House’s sweeping policy initiative for nearly six months, said he could not support the bill because of his concerns about inflation, the growing deficit and the need to focus on the omicron coronavirus variant.
Governor signs controversial wetlands bill into law
The bill, which scales back protections on Indiana wetlands, had gained support from the Indiana Builders Association, but numerous environmental, conservation and civic groups opposed it.
Biden to pledge cutting greenhouse gases in half by 2030, sources say
The proposal would require dramatic changes in the power and transportation sectors, including significant increases in renewable energy such as wind and solar power and steep cuts in emissions from fossil fuels such as coal and oil.
Controversial Indiana environmental bills inch near passage
Lawmakers approved two environmental bills Tuesday that critics say could damage the state’s ecosystems by scaling back current policy affecting water, energy and other resources.
Indiana lawmakers dial back controversial wetlands bill
Although the bill still broadly reduces wetlands protections, the Hoosier Environmental Council called the amendment “much less damaging” than the Senate-passed version of the bill.
Q&A: Daniel Poynter on helping Indiana become carbon-neutral
Daniel Poynter, a former software developer and executive coach to social entrepreneurs, spent 11 months in 2019 using his savings to study climate full time.
EPA changes stand, sides with ethanol industry in court case
The federal government announced Monday that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Autoworkers will face uncertain future in era of electric cars
For workers at GM and other automakers, the future could be perilous. The more environmentally focused plants of the future will need significantly fewer workers, mainly because electric vehicles contain 30% to 40% fewer moving parts than petroleum-run vehicles.
Federal court strikes down major Trump climate rollback
The decision is likely to give the incoming Biden administration a freer hand to regulate emissions from power plants, one of the major sources of fossil fuel emissions.
Indianapolis law professor picked by Biden as EPA deputy
A veteran of the Obama administration, Janet McCabe is a professor of practice at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and director of the IU Environmental Resilience Institute.
Trump signs $3B-a-year plan to boost conservation, parks
Supporters say the Great American Outdoors Act is the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century.
EPA rejects tougher air quality standards, says 2015 limits are sufficient
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said national average ozone concentrations have dropped 25% in recent decades, mainly due to reductions in pollutants that contribute to the formation of smog.
California, 23 other states sue Trump for right to require more fuel-efficient cars
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, marks the latest round in an escalating fight between the White House and California officials over how quickly the nation’s auto fleet must increase its fuel-efficiency.
Trump administration eases Obama-era rules on coal pollution
Monday’s change would loosen some of the requirements for cleaning up the waste streams from coal-fired power plants and give utilities another two years to comply with some of the rules.
EPA proposes looser oversight of oil company emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency’s move would be the latest in a series by the administration easing Obama-era emissions controls on the oil, gas and coal industries, including for methane.
EPA reaffirms glyphosate safe for users as court cases grow
The Environmental Protection Agency reaffirmed Tuesday that a popular weed killer is safe for people, as legal claims mount from Americans who blame the herbicide for their cancer.